Je te choisis
by Nicoley117-TheBlueMartini
Summary: Post Season 1 Finale. "You said you felt yourself growing harder. Don't let it happen." As Francis leaves the castle, Mary can't help but think about what he had said to her and decides to take action so she does not become a woman her husband will not love. Frary.
1. Chapitre 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Reign!_

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**Chapitre 1**

She couldn't bear to look through the castle gates any longer. It was too painful to continue watching him ride off. She had to turn away because she couldn't stand to see her husband parting from her.

She never could stand seeing him leave, but this time was worse than their previous goodbyes. The disappointed look upon his face when she ordered the gates to be closed would forever be engraved in her mind. It tore away at her heart and would probably haunt her until he returned.

_If_ he returned.

He was the king of France, and he left without any hesitation. He followed his own desires, instead of his country's needs. He risked his own health and safety leaving the castle. Who knew if she would ever see him again? He left alone, making himself vulnerable, in addition to having a strong chance of contracting the plague. Feeling uneasy and worried, Mary quickly headed back inside the castle.

As soon as she entered, Catherine appeared next to her and her eyes were searching around frantically. "Did you inform Francis about the plague? Where is he?"

"I told him, but he still left," Mary said softly as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"My dear, what kind of nonsense is that? Where was he going? For what reason would Francis endanger himself, especially as the king of France?" Catherine asked, her voice growing in anger.

Mary looked at the ground in an attempt to hide the tears that were threatening to spill out. "Because…" she began. "…Because Lola is giving birth to his child."

Catherine's eyes immediately widened. After a brief moment of silence, she took a deep breath and spoke again in a more calm voice. "Did any of the guards go with him?"

Mary shook her head.

Catherine sighed. "After all I have done for him to see him upon that throne, he risks throwing it all away for an illegitimate child," Catherine stated mournfully and then paused a moment to take another deep breath. "I suppose I'll just have to coerce some guards into finding him and bringing him back. We'll just have to pray he hasn't been infected," she said and then stalked away.

Mary just stared blankly at Catherine's retreating form before deciding to head back to her own chambers.

As soon as she stepped into her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Right as she did so, she allowed the tears that had been forming in her eyes to pour out. Her worry, concern, and confusion had completely overwhelmed her.

Francis left the castle and risked being infected by the plague. He was acting so reckless, so foolish! How could he not think of his country and his people?! How could he not realize that she couldn't even bear the thought of ever losing him?! That being away from him for even the slightest moment brings her great torment and pain?

But then she thought of the reason why he did leave the castle.

Because of the birth of a child.

_His _child.

He was going to finally have a child, and while it unsettled her to think about it, it could be his _only_ child. Of course he would want to be there for the birth. Who was she turning into? How did she no longer realize the importance of love and family? How she did become so obsessed with power and what was considered the proper thing to do?

The tears continued to stream down her face as she crumpled to the floor.

How did she become so cold?

He probably thought her to be so heartless now, after shutting him out of the castle. He probably found her uncaring for telling him not to go and inconsiderate of the fact that he was about to become a father.

She didn't want to be like this. When she first returned to French court, all she wanted to do was follow her heart. However, as her duties and burdens grew, so did her desire for power, leaving less room for love.

She was becoming a person Francis wouldn't love. How could she have let that happen?

_Don't grow harder_, he had told her. _Share your burdens_.

Wiping away her tears with the backs of her hands, she stood up and began pacing about the room.

_Mary, you said you felt yourself growing harder_, he had said before he left._ Don't let it happen._

His words played over and over in her head.

_Don't grow harder_. It almost felt like he was beside her, whispering to her.

She told him she didn't want to become a woman Francis wouldn't love. She had promised that to herself as well. But what was she doing? Why was she still in the castle then and not with her husband and her friend?

She had to _go_. She must leave the castle and go to them! She must prove to Francis and to herself that she can follow through with her promise…that she can return to being the woman she once was, one who cared more about following her heart.

She quickly began pulling out her riding clothes. She didn't care who tried to stop her. She was going, no matter what.

As she was gathering her clothes, she heard a small knock on the door. Mary put down the clothes on her bed before going to answer it.

As she opened the door, she smiled slightly when she saw that it was Greer.

"Mary, I-" Greer began, but noticed that Mary's eyes were red. "Are you all right?"

"Greer," Mary began before taking Greer's arm and pulling her inside the room, shutting the door behind her. "Lola is giving birth at this very moment and might not survive. I just received a letter from her…I'll show you." Mary explained as she went over to her desk and picked up the letter. She handed it over to Greer.

Greer's eyes quickly scanned over the note and had a look of surprise on her face. She looked up at Mary. "Did you tell Francis?"

Mary nodded. "And he has already left to be with her during the birth. I plan to join them."

"What? But Mary, there's the plague! And you won't be safe going out on your own!" Greer exclaimed in protest.

"I must go. Our friend may be dying…and my husband is about to have a child. I have to be there for them," Mary explained.

Greer, knowing Mary to be a stubborn woman, realized it would be a lost cause trying to convince her not to go, especially when it's a situation concerning her husband. "How will you get out of the castle? The gates are already being closed."

"I doubt she's had the passageways blocked off yet," Mary stated as she sat down on a chair to put her riding boots on. "I'll try one of those and go to the stables, get a horse, and go."

Greer sighed as she sat down in a chair across from Mary. "Just be careful, Mary. Please, be careful."

"I will, Greer. I promise," Mary replied.

XxxxxxxX

Once Mary finished putting on her riding clothes, she found she was still able to get through the passageway that connected her room to outside the castle. She ran straight to the stables and mounted her horse. Mary then had her horse gallop away from the castle, towards the village where Lola stated she was located.

The closer she got, the more Mary felt her heart swelling with joy. It felt as if a weight was slowly being lifted off of her shoulders. She finally felt like she was doing the right thing.

After about a mile of riding, her horse suddenly came to a stop. He reared back at the sight of a snake on the ground, resulting in Mary falling off the horse and onto the ground, where her head hit a rock.

Upon impact, Mary passed out, and her horse took off.

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**A/N:** I have a feeling this will be long...apologies!

This was kind of a rash decision of mine to post this. I know I'm not the greatest writer, but there's a disturbing lack of Frary fics out there. Plus, there's not many fics about what happens post season 1. So these plot bunnies just come at me from no where and I'm just like, "I wish people would write this!" but no one does so then it's left to me to write it because the bunnies won't go away. So I just write for fun...I don't really have a goal to be a creative writer or anything. It's more of a "Fine, if no one will do it, I will!" kind of a thing.

So I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I sort of have this story (which should be a short one-I'm thinking less than 10 chapters) planned out, but still have some kinks to work out so I'm just nervous I've posted this fic too soon! I usually only write oneshots, so I'm also nervous I'm going to lose the drive to finish it, but I'm feeling very determined to complete it! I'm going to do my best to update this on a somewhat constant basis. If it somehow ends up being a long time since I've updated, do not hesitate to message me and tell me I better update! I like encouragement :)

I'd also like to note that my knowledge of _Reign_ might not be perfect. It's hard for me to remember everything and I haven't been able to go back and rewatch episodes. I can't even remember if it was even revealed to Greer and Kenna that Lola was having Francis' baby, but I'm assuming they were eventually filled in on the matter or they assumed it.

Anyways, reviews are also very encouraging and greatly appreciated! :) Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapitre 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Reign_.

**A/N: **Aw, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story! I am so very flattered! Ah, you're just all so great! So here's my present to all of you-another chapter (which I wrote faster than I expected, probably due to all of your encouragement!).

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**Chapitre 2**

"Your Grace," the peasant woman abruptly bowed before Francis when he arrived at the door to her humble house. She was a bit shocked to see him there alone. "…I'm afraid you're too late," she said sadly as she gestured for him to come in.

"What's happened?" Francis exclaimed as he stepped inside. His eyes searched around for Lola. As he stepped further in the small house, he saw Lola lying down so he rushed over to the side of the bed. "Lola, are you all right?"

She looked very ill and weak. Her eyes were red and puffy as tears streamed down her face. She looked up at Francis in shock that he was there and didn't know what to say, unsure how to tell him...

"The baby…" Lola began softly and took a deep breath. "The baby did not survive."

Francis just stared at her for a moment as he let her words sink in. A couple of hours ago, he had just learned he was going to be a father at any moment. He rode on to the house with great speed, thinking of how he never knew of this child and how hurt he was that Lola and Mary never told him. However, as he rode on, he began to feel completely ecstatic at the thought of being a parent and was very eager for the babe's birth. But now the child was already…_gone_. A child he had only known of for a few hours.

"Lola, I'm-," Francis began, but he didn't really know what to say. So instead, he just hugged her and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

"Francis," she said amidst her tears. "Please don't be mad at Mary. Please don't. She didn't tell you because I made her promise not to."

"Shhh," Francis told her. "You don't need to talk about this now. You should rest."

"But Francis—"

"Shhh. Sleep." Francis said as he pulled away from her. Once she seemed to be drifting off, Francis left the bedroom area to go speak with the peasant woman.

"My deepest apologies for barging in the way I did," he said in a quiet tone so as to not disturb Lola's sleep.

"No need to apologize, your Grace," she replied, bowing before him again.

"What is your name?"

"Eleanor," she replied timidly as she had never had a conversation with someone of royal standing before.

"Eleanor, thank you very much for your hospitality. You shall be repaid," Francis said.

"It's no trouble, your Grace," she replied meekly.

"I'm just going to go outside for a bit, but I shall return soon," Francis told her before he walked out of the house.

He mounted his horse and rode off from the village to a small pond nearby. After getting off of his horse and tying him to a tree branch, Francis walked over to the side of the pond and sat there.

He needed a moment to himself…some time to clear his head. The whole day had been a complete whirlwind to him.

Last night, his father had died…by his own hand. He absolutely hated being the one that led him to his death, but he knew it had to be done. His father had gone past the point of no return with his madness. There was no possible way to save him. And the way he had touched Mary's face at the tournament…he was completely enraged by his father's was the moment he knew he had to be the one to kill his father.

But then he was able to talk with his father on his deathbed and learn the painful truth of how his father killed his own brother…and that was when the guilt began to creep in.

It brought him such an uneasy feeling within himself. How could a man kill his own father? How could _he_ do it?

The guilt weighed upon him…it's so hard for him to bear, and then after his father died, all of the advisers had to discuss his ascension to the throne as the guilt just ate away at him. The only reason the discussion occurred was because he murdered his own father! He had been getting to the point where he felt like he couldn't breathe and could not wait to escape that meeting.

Once he was free of the advisers, he was so relieved to finally go to Mary with the hopes of possibly confiding in her about what he had done. When she expressed her concerns about her changing, he internally rejoiced that she managed to discover this on her own. He knew at that moment he wanted to share with her the burden of his secret. Instead, he learned of one of her secrets that she had been harboring for a long time…

_You should go, _she had said_. Because you are the father of her child. Because I've wanted to tell you for months. _She had known for months! How could she not tell him? How could Lola not tell him? How could they hide this from him for so long?

Francis picked up a rock from the ground and threw in the pond in frustration.

He had learned just then that he was going to be a father at any moment. And just when it finally hit him that his child would enter the world today, he found out it wasn't going to be a reality at all. In the same day, he learned he was going to have a child and he lost that child.

All of the day's events took a toll on him emotionally, and he wished he had someone to confide in. Despite the anger he felt towards her at this moment, he wished Mary was there. It was too much for him to handle on his own. He felt as if he were about to burst and needed her love and comfort.

But she chose to stay at the castle and close the gates behind him, shutting him out of his home and keeping him away from her. She should have come with him. When would she ever learn to follow her heart again? Where was the girl who first arrived at French court so full of joy and love, when he was the one so against following his heart. What had happened?

He couldn't take all of this pain. But all he could do then was continuously throw rocks into the pond as a way to release some of his anger as a few tears filled his eyes.

XxxxxxxX

"WHERE IS MARY?" Catherine asked fiercely. She had been asking servants to send for her all afternoon, and each of them would come back to her saying they could not find her.

Thinking this to be extremely suspicious, Catherine then instead sent for the people she figured would most likely know the whereabouts of the queen: Greer, Kenna, and Bash.

Kenna and Bash immediately responded with exclamations of "What?" and "Mary is gone?" while Greer remained silent and looked down at the floor.

Catherine eyed Greer suspiciously, causing Kenna and Bash to turn and stare at Greer. Feeling the many pairs of eyes burning upon her, Greer forced herself to look up at them.

"Tell me where Mary is," Catherine commanded her.

"She…" Greer hesitantly began.

"Would you like me the begin threatening you? WHERE IS MARY?" Catherine asked impatiently.

"She…she left the castle to go after Francis and to attend to Lola," Greer hastily explained and feared Catherine's reaction.

"Lola?" Kenna said.

"She's about to give birth," Greer replied. "She sent a letter to Mary this morning asking for help and that she was at a house by the mill. Apparently, Lord Julien is dead."

"Did anyone go with Mary?" Catherine, looking extremely disgruntled at this news, asked.

"No," Greer answered.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Francis didn't have any guards go with him either. These two act as if they haven't been bred for royalty their entire life! They're gallivanting about as if they aren't the king and queen of France and that they are in no danger!" She exclaimed in outrage. "We must send someone after Mary and Francis to remind them of their place and to bring them back, despite the risk of the plague," Catherine stated while looking over towards Bash.

Kenna, who realized Catherine was insinuating that Bash should be that person, immediately protested. "No! No, you're not going!" she shouted as she looked at Bash, who looked to be considering it.

Ignoring Kenna's protests, Catherine continued, "Sebastian, I know we aren't exactly…friends, but I must ask a favor of you. Would you consider going down to the village to retrieve your brother and Mary?"

At first, Bash was silent, but spoke up after a minute. "Please allow me to speak with my wife alone for a moment," Bash stated before grabbing Kenna's hand and guiding her further down the hallway.

"Bash, you can't go. You could contract the plague and die!" Kenna said.

"I am aware of the risk," Bash responded. "But it's my fault the plague is even a threat now since I killed the Darkness, and the longer Francis and Mary are outside of the castle, the higher chance they have of contracting the disease and dying too. They're the rulers of France now…and he's my brother. I can't leave my brother out there to die, nor Mary, who I consider to be my friend, but nothing more than that."

"But it's not your fault!" Kenna pleaded. "But I know you'll never believe that…I understand that he's your brother, and you feel obligated to help him…and I know you no longer have feelings for Mary, but I just…I just don't want to lose you. I can't risk losing you!"

"You won't lose me," Bash tried to reassure her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'm simply indestructible," Bash responded cheekily.

Kenna rolled her eyes at him and smacked his arm in response. "You can be such an arrogant ass sometimes."

"A loveable, arrogant ass," he corrected her.

Kenna just rolled her eyes again.

"I'm sorry," Bash said sincerely. "I don't want to leave you either, but I have to go. Plus, Catherine might start threatening to have your head cut off if I don't. I promise I will return to you."

Kenna sighed and was silent for a moment, trying to think of any other possible reasons she could use to convince him to stay. But realizing there was no way to dissuade him, she relented. "Fine, go off and be the hero."

Bash smiled and embraced her. "I love you," he whispered in her hair.

"I love you too," she replied right before he kissed her on the lips.

When he pulled away, Bash took her hand and walked back to where Catherine and Greer were.

Catherine looked up at him and said, "Well?"

"I'll go," Bash said.

Catherine smiled. "Excellent."

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**A/N:** I have a feeling this is going to be another long one...

So I originally planned on having a bit about what happened to Mary in this chapter, but...that didn't happen. Sorry about that! Basically, Francis was getting all introspective and his part was longer than I anticipated. Plus, I felt like he deserved more of the chapter, since he's basically having the crappiest day of his life :/ So the chapter was already getting lengthy for my standards, and I thought this seemed like a good place to end the chapter. But Mary will be back next chapter!

Hope you liked the dash of Kennash! (-I just really wanted to say 'dash of Kennash'...I love rhymes). I didn't originally intend for them to really be in the story, but they just fought their way in! I'm not sure if we'll see more of them though...mostly want to keep the focus on Frary.

So I forgot to mention in the first chapter that the title of this story means "I Choose You" in French. (I'm kind of obsessed with the French language, plus it just makes sense since they are in France...) At first, I could NOT come up with a title for this story, but then I heard Sara Bareilles' new song "I Choose You' on the radio, and I thought that would be the perfect title! The song is pretty awesome, and I think it's a good Frary song, so you should check it out if you haven't.

Anyways...please review! :) It's always lovely to hear from all of you! I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon!


	3. Chapitre 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Reign_, but I do own the new characters that appear in this chapter :)

**A/N: **Once again, thanks so much for all of the reviews and the story alerts/favorites! I feel so special. Now let's check in on Mary...

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**Chapitre 3**

"She's so pretty…" a voice said.

"She must be a noble... Look at her clothes! They're made of such fine quality," said another voice.

At the sound of these unfamiliar voices, Mary found herself stirred from her slumber and suddenly felt a severe aching in her head. She turned her head slightly to the side and realized she was she was lying in what felt like a bed.

"I think she's waking up, Jeanne," she heard one of the unfamiliar voices say.

_Where am I? _Mary wondered to herself.

She very slowly began opening her eyes. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed two young women staring at her. They both had dark, wavy hair and slender figures. The shorter woman looked to be a few years younger than herself, while the taller one appeared to a little older than Mary.

Mary looked around at her surroundings and saw that she was in a very small and bare bedroom. The only piece of furniture in the room was the bed Mary was lying in. There was a window to the right of her, where the sunlight was streaming through to light up the room. Looking down at herself, Mary noticed that she was still in her riding clothes which had some splotches of dirt on them. Then, squinting from the sunlight, she stared back up at the two young women, who were smiling worriedly at her.

"Where…am I? …What…am I doing here? …Who are you?" Mary asked, beginning to feel slightly on edge due to the fact she was in a stranger's house and did not know how she ended up there. The last thing she remembered was falling off of her horse.

The two women looked at each other for a second with worried expressions on their faces before looking back at Mary. The older one began to speak.

"Well, I'm Margaret, and this is my younger sister, Jeanne," she said, gesturing to the other woman. "You were found lying on the ground outside. It looked like you hit your head on a rock, and our brother brought you here to our house, and we've been trying to take care of you," she explained calmly.

Mary, thinking of the reason she was outside in the first place, suddenly sat up straight when she realized she had been riding to get to Francis and Lola.

"How long have I been passed out?!" Mary asked in a state of panic.

"Well, since our brother found you, only a few hours…but we're not sure how long you were lying there before he found you," Margaret answered.

Mary was slightly relieved to hear that she hadn't been out for an extended period of time as far as she knew. She then moved her legs to the side of the bed and planted her feet on the ground.

"Thank you very much for your help, but I must go! I have to find my husband and—" Mary began to say as she stood up from the bed.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere," a young man who suddenly appeared in the doorway to the bedroom said.

Margaret and Jeanne jumped at the sound of his voice, while Mary accidentally fell back onto the bed from surprise.

The man, who had long black hair and wore ragged clothing, strode over to Mary. Placing his left hand on her right shoulder, he pushed her down on the bed so she was lying flat on her back. Within his right hand, he held a vial of some kind of liquid which he forcedly poured down Mary's throat.

Mary tried to fight back, but he was too strong and restrained her from doing so. She tried to spit out the liquid, but the man covered her mouth, leaving her no choice but to swallow it.

"I'm afraid it's not time for you to be awake yet," the man said amid the shrieks and protests of the two sisters.

"What…did you give me?" Mary said softly, beginning to feel drowsy.

"Lucien! What are you doing?" Margaret asked frantically.

"Nothing you should worry about. Sweet dreams, dearie," he replied wryly as he got off of Mary's body.

Mary found herself unable to keep her eyes open and had no choice but to let them shut. Within minutes, she was asleep.

XxxxxxxX

"Is Mary coming?" Lola asked groggily. She had just woken up from her nap and was still lying in the bed.

"No," Francis replied sadly. He had returned from his time alone outside a few moments ago, and currently sat in a chair beside the bed.

A perplexed and alarmed expression came over Lola's face and so many questions began to fill her mind as to why Mary wouldn't be arriving. "Is she angry? Is she—"

Francis was quick to interrupt her. "No, she's not angry…at least, not at you. She was originally planning to come with a physician shortly after me. But…but there has been an outbreak of the plague, and…and she thought it best to stay behind," Francis explained calmly.

"The plague?!" Lola exclaimed. "Then, what are you doing here? You risked your health and safety and—"

"You were giving birth to my child, Lola! The risks didn't matter," Francis began to shout, but quickly calmed himself down once he realized his temper was rising. "I had hoped to witness the birth of my child…a child you didn't even tell me about," he finished softly.

Lola averted her eyes. She looked down at the blanket covering her, letting her fingers play with the fringe of the blanket as she thought about what to say.

"I didn't…I didn't want you to know. I didn't want to come between you and Mary…I didn't want to be viewed as your mistress. It wasn't fair to Mary..."

"Well, it wasn't fair to me that you didn't even tell me I was the father of your child," Francis sternly replied.

"I know…I'm sorry. And when Mary found out it was your child, I made her promise not to tell you. So please don't be cross with her about this," Lola said as she looked back up at him. "I am the only one to blame, and I am sorry."

Francis sighed. "I'm sorry I was starting to lose my temper. It wasn't proper of me…you're still weak and unwell…."

Both of them were suddenly startled by a loud pounding against the door. Eleanor, who was in the kitchen cooking, went over and opened the door, which revealed a tall man with dark hair.

"Excuse me, madam, but I was looking for a Lady Lola and –"

Francis instantly stood up from his chair and rushed over to door once he heard the familiar voice. "Bash?!"

At the sight of Francis, Bash smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Francis." Eleanor gestured for him to step inside, and he obliged. "Your mother has sent me to bring you and Mary back to the castle."

"Mary? But Mary stayed at the castle…" Francis said in a confused tone.

"She's not here?" Bash asked and then looked extremely worried, causing Francis to be equally concerned. "She had fled from the castle earlier today and told Lady Greer she was coming after you."

Francis' heart immediately started pounding. "But she's not here…where is she?!" Francis shouted.

"Something must've happened on her way here…Maybe she got lost?"

So many possibilities as to what happened to Mary ran through Francis' mind. She could've gotten lost out there, and now the sun was beginning to set. She could be all alone out there with no where to spend the night. She could've been attacked, injured, kidnapped…

"I must go find her," Francis stated as he started putting on his boots and cloak.

"I'm coming with you," Bash instantly replied.

"Lola…" Francis began to say as he walked over towards her bed.

"I overheard," Lola said. "Don't worry about me, Francis. Go find Mary."

Francis and Bash ran out of the house and headed straight to their horses that were tied to a nearby fence. They each mounted their horses, and galloped off in the direction of the castle.

"I'm coming, my love. I'm coming," Francis whispered.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! So, that last line Francis says...I don't own that line. I took it from the 2006 _Robin Hood BBC_ series (anyone watch that show?) The line was just very fitting for the moment :) Anyway, please review! I look forward to reading your comments!


	4. Chapitre 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Reign_.

**A/N: **As always, thanks so much for all of the reviews and story follows! I'm still so very flattered :)

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**Chapitre 4**

The sun had already set. Francis and Bash had begun their search for Mary hours ago, and had been riding through the areas Mary may have traveled while shouting out her name. However, they had not found a single trace of Mary. The current lack of sunlight made it even more difficult to find any indication of where she might be.

"Francis," Bash called out, who was on his horse galloping slightly behind Francis'.

Hearing his brother's voice, Francis slowed his horse down to a stop and waited for Bash to come beside him.

"Francis, we should stop and set up camp," Bash stated. When it looked like Francis was about to protest, Bash was quick to continue. "It's useless for us to continue looking in the dark. Once dawn breaks, we will both be completely exhausted and won't be able to look for her properly."

Francis reluctantly nodded his head in agreement. He wanted to object to Bash's suggestion. He did not want to rest without knowing where Mary was, but he knew his brother was at least partially right. They could not see anything and would risk getting completely lost if they continued. He also knew that it would at least be better to attempt to get some sleep, but he had a feeling he would be kept up all night with anxiety over the fact he had no idea where his wife was that night.

The two rode over to the edge of a forest to set up a tent Bash had packed.

XxxxxxxX

Just as he had suspected, Francis' mind was too alive for him to fall asleep. He laid flat on his back and stared up at the roof of the tent, while his brother slept soundly beside him.

_He knows where his wife is tonight. _Francis couldn't help but feel envious of him at that moment. Where could Mary be?

What if she was hurt? What if she was ill? What if she got lost? What if someone kidnapped her? What if someone touched her or assaulted her? What if she was...dare he say it…dead?

It would have been his fault. Ever since she returned to French court, his top priority had always been to protect her…and the moment he let his heart follow something other than her, something may have happened to her…

Surely if she were…dead…he would feel something? Their bond was too strong… wouldn't he have been able to sense her departure from this world?

He knew his Mary to be strong and a fighter. She certainly would still be alive…but in what condition? He couldn't help but fret. The guilt of knowing he was the one to cause her to leave the castle began to rush through him.

She had come after him.

She had come after him!

Part of him rejoiced at this realization. All of the anger he felt towards her hours before had washed away. He had feared Mary was forgetting about following her heart and became more concerned with duty and power…and he absolutely hated how she closed the gates behind him. But…she ended up coming after him. She had chosen to go back to following her heart, just as he had wished.

What had he done?

_Dear God, please let her be all right, _he prayed.

XxxxxxxX

Right at the crack of dawn, Francis immediately rose and gave Bash a friendly kick in the leg to wake him up. He then exited the tent, with Bash following behind him. Francis mounted his horse as Bash packed up the tent.

"Bash," Francis began as he brought his horse next to Bash. "I think we need to split up."

Bash, who was crouched on the ground, gave him a perplexed look as he folded up the tent in his hands. "But you're the king of France…you shouldn't be wandering about by yourself."

"I don't care," Francis sternly replied. "We need to find Mary as soon as possible, and we'll find her faster if we're covering more ground. You should head north and search closer to the castle, and I'll go west to search through the wooded areas."

Bash stood up. "If one of us finds her, how will we let the other know?"

Francis paused to think for a moment. "This evening, we should meet back up at the castle. Hopefully, Mary will be with one of us."

Bash nodded in agreement. "You better return to the castle tonight, or your mother will certainly have my head."

Francis just smirked at him in return. "See you tonight," he said before riding off.

XxxxxxxX

The hours continued to tick by with no sign of Mary. Francis trotted through the woods, calling out her name, but he would only hear complete silence in return. The sky was now growing gloomy, and it looked like it would rain soon.

Francis approached a stream that was flowing through the forest, and thought it was probably best to let himself and his horse have a moment to hydrate. He dismounted and pulled the reins to bring his horse closer to the stream to drink.

As the horse lapped up the water, Francis cupped his hands and submerged them under the water, then brought them up to his mouth to drink some of the water. After doing so, he then cupped his hands to retrieve some water again. This time he closed his eyes and brought the water up to his face and let the cool water rush over it. He repeated the action, when suddenly his whole body was shoved forward.

His body fell into the stream, hitting the rocks that rested at the bottom causing him to wince. Despite the pain, he was quick to stand up and step out of the stream. All he saw when he turned around was someone's fist heading straight for his face. He wasn't quick enough to react, so the mysterious fist punched him, causing him to fall backward on the damp ground beside the stream.

Francis winced again, but reached his hand down for his sword that was attached to his belt. However, as he was doing so, a man with long black hair came at him with a dagger and cut across his arm before he could reach it. Francis let out a short shout in pain as the blood ran down his skin. While taking quick breaths, he looked up at the man standing over him, who was soon joined by another man with short red hair.

Francis decided to try to roll his body away from the two of them, but once he turned his body so he was laying face down, the red haired man stuck out his foot and let it fall down on Francis' back to stop him. Francis closed his eyes and continued to take many short, shaky breaths while trying to think of what he should do next to escape who he assumed to be some random bandits.

"Well, Lucien, you were right. He did end up coming to look for the girl," said the red haired man.

Francis' thinking was interrupted by this statement. Could he possibly have been referring to Mary?

"God is definitely smiling upon us today, Albert," Lucien replied with a smirk before pulling out some rope and kneeling down to grab a hold of Francis' hands.

Francis attempted to wriggle his hands away from Lucien, but Albert pushed his foot down harder on his back, and Lucien said something that immediately made Francis discontinue any attempts to flee. "Now, wouldn't you like to see your dear wife Mary again? If you try to resist us, I'm afraid you'll leave us with no choice but to hurt her."

Francis' heart began racing. "Where is she?!" he screamed out at them.

"Oh hush, no need to cause a ruckus," Lucien told him as he tied up Francis' hands and then stood back up. "If you come with us, we'll take you to her."

Albert then took his foot off of Francis and yanked Francis up to his feet by roughly grabbing his arm.

"How can I trust you?!" Francis exclaimed in Lucien's face.

"Well, that's simply a gamble you'll have to take," he replied. "But I can prove to you that we do have your wife." He then pulled out a tiny white cloth, which he used to wipe away the blood on Francis' arm.

When Francis looked down the cloth he was using, he instantly recognized it. The cloth had Mary's coat of arms embroidered on it, as well as his own. It had been one of the many wedding gifts they had received.

Francis looked back up at Lucien. "Take me to her," he commanded him.

"Very well," Lucien grinned. "Let's go."

* * *

**A/N: **Man, I feel so bad. I keep like having Francis and Mary get all injured and everything...it's so sad...but I love bringing on the drama.

Anyway, I apologize for it taking me a little longer to update than with the previous chapters. I'm a recent college grad, so I've been busy job hunting and such. I also am sort of changing the story from what I originally planned, so I've been trying to work out those kinks too! But I'm determined to have at least one update a week for this story, so I made sure to get some writing time in this weekend! Hope you liked it :)


	5. Chapitre 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Reign_!

**A/N: **Ah, guys! I'm so sorry it has taken me 2 weeks for an update! I'll explain at the end of the chapter, because right now I know you guys just want to read! ;) Thanks for all the reviews! And thanks to everyone who was asking for an update! It was very encouraging!

* * *

**Chapitre 5**

As he walked with one of his captors guiding him, he could tell they had entered a house due to the creakiness of the floorboards. Francis had willingly allowed himself to be blindfolded when his captors took him away on their horses and had felt relieved when the horse stopped, and he was pulled off the animal. He would finally be with Mary, if his captors kept to their word.

The blindfold was suddenly roughly pulled off of his face, and Francis saw Mary sitting on the floor of a small empty room with her back leaning against the wall. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were tied together with rope behind her back. Her feet were also tied up, just above her ankles. As he looked at her, fear and anger began to come over him.

"Mary…" he cried out to her softly, but she didn't move at all. He attempted to step forward to get closer to her, but someone quickly pulled him back by grabbing a hold of his shirt collar. When he looked behind him, he saw it was the man named Albert.

He turned his head to the left where Lucien was standing. "What have you done to her?!" he exclaimed.

"Relax, blondie. I just gave her a sleeping draught," he replied coolly. "She'll be waking up anytime now."

"You better not have done anything to her or assaulted her in any way…" Francis stated menacingly.

"Do I look like the type to want to make love with unconscious women? I haven't done anything to her," Lucien said. "Now, I'm going to leave you in here with her, and you can be the precious face she wakes up to."

Albert pushed Francis to the ground in a spot directly across the room from Mary's sleeping form. Francis winced as his body hit the floor, and Lucien immediately began to tie up Francis' feet before he could even attempt to resist.

"Goodbye for now," Lucien said as he and Albert walked out of the small room, closing the door behind them.

Francis stared straight ahead at Mary. He was so relieved to finally see her again and that she was all right, from what he could tell. He wished he could go over to her and wrap his arms around her. However, he was thankful to at least be in the same room as her.

He was unsure what to do…should he call out her name and try to wake her? He so longed to hear the sound of her voice again and to see if she was well. Or should he continue to let her sleep so she wouldn't have to wake and worry about their current situation? She looked so peaceful…

Francis sighed as he leaned his head back. If only he hadn't gotten them in this situation in the first place. Perhaps, he should have never left her…and never should have given her reason to flee the safety of the castle.

He then heard what sounded like a soft moan and immediately looked straight ahead at Mary. Her head started tilting towards the left, and her eyes began to open.

xxx

All she could see was a blank wall when she opened her eyes. She felt disoriented and had no idea where she was.

"Mary…" she heard a voice call out to her, which sounded so familiar and warm. She turned her head to the direction she heard the voice coming from, and a smile instantly spread across her face when she saw who it was.

"Francis!" she exclaimed. She started to move in an attempt to get up, but immediately realized she was unable to do so when she looked down and saw the ropes tied around her feet. When she tried to bring her arms around to the front of her body, she realized they were also tied up. "What's going on? And how are you here?! Ah!" Mary let out a small cry due to the pain she felt suddenly rush through her head.

"Mary! Mary, are you all right?!" Francis panicked.

Mary leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm fine…my head just hurts. These two girls told me they think my head hit a rock…I think…I think I fell off of my horse."

"What two girls?"

"I think…I think their names were Jeanne and Margaret," Mary said as she opened her eyes again to look at Francis. "When I first woke up here, I was in a bed, and they were there."

"Was there anyone else around when you woke up?"

"There…there was this man with long dark hair. He…he forced me to drink some kind of potion…"

Francis continued to look concerned. "I think that was Lucien."

"I think so, yes. How did you know?" As soon as she asked the question, she gasped as she suddenly realized why they were both outside of the castle in the first place. "Lola and the baby! How are you here? How are they? And where are they?" Mary's mind was racing. She looked so concerned and eagerly awaited Francis' response.

An expression of sadness took over Francis' face. Mary became suddenly very afraid of what she was about to hear.

"I discovered where Lola was…and I was too late. The babe…" he paused. "The babe did not survive," he said before looking down at the floor.

"Oh Francis…" she said quietly. She was so full of regret over the fact she kept the news of his child a secret from him. Would he ever forgive her?

"Lola is fine," he continued. "Bash came to the cottage looking for you and me to take us back to the castle…and that's when we realized you had gone missing. So we went out searching for you and split up. I ended up getting beat up by Lucien and his friend."

It was then that Mary noticed the blue and purple tinge his face had and realized that some bruises were forming.

"They told me if I went with them, they would take me to you…I'm so relieved they were speaking truthfully," Francis concluded as his face broke into a small smile.

Mary returned the smile, but couldn't help but feel upset that he had risked his life to come find her and that he had gotten hurt in the process. _How could he have been so stupid? _she thought._ He's a king now! _ _He can't keep endangering himself all of the time…_

Her smile faded and she started shaking her head. "Francis, what are you doing here? Why would you do that?!"

"Mary, when will you ever learn that I'd do anything for you?" he told her earnestly.

Mary's heart swelled. At the same time, Mary and Francis both tried to get up to go to each other. It was as if their bodies couldn't stand to be apart when they were in the same room. However, they were once again reminded that they were restrained from doing so. The two sighed in frustration.

Mary looked down again at her tied up feet and noticed she was wearing tattered brown garments. The clothes weren't what she was wearing before, and they were certainly not her own.

"What's wrong?" Francis asked when he saw a look of confusion come over Mary's face.

"These clothes…they aren't mine. I don't know where they came from…I was wearing my riding clothes when I last woke up…" She smelled the scent of lavender around her as well. "I think I've been bathed, too."

"He swore he didn't do anything to you," Francis muttered angrily to himself, now believing Lucien had seen more of his wife that no man other than himself was supposed to see. "I'll kill him."

Mary, feeling a little fearful herself as to who had touched her and changed her clothes, trembled a little. "Francis, where are we? What do they want with us?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. Francis was growing anxious and couldn't stop fidgeting. He needed to be by Mary. He started wriggling his hands, hoping they would miraculously break free from the rope, but nothing happened.

He let out another sigh of frustration before another idea popped in his head. "Mary, I'm going to try to roll over to you."

Francis then began to twist his body so he could lay flat on his back on the floor. Mary then began to protest. "Oh Francis, don't do that…you're all bruised! You'll be in more pain! I'll roll over to you!"

"No, Mary," Francis objected. "You've hurt your head. We can't risk you injuring yourself any further." He then proceeded to slowly roll his body towards hers, biting his tongue so he wouldn't let the groans of pain escape from his lips.

Once he got next to her, he managed to sit himself up against the wall. Breathing heavily, he turned his head to Mary.

"Francis, are you all right?" she asked. She could tell he was trying to disguise the fact that he was in pain.

"I am now," he responded as he leaned his forehead forward to rest against hers.

"You shouldn't have done that," she gently reprimanded him.

"When will you ever understand how much I love you?" he told her with a smirk on his face. He then kissed her lips, and she returned the kiss, but after a few seconds, she pulled away. She felt so guilty. She didn't deserve his love…she had concealed the fact he fathered a child for so long. She needed to apologize at the very least.

"I'm sorry, so sorry for not telling you about the baby," she said.

"Let's not talk about this right now…"

"No, Francis, you have to know that I've wanted to tell you for so long…" Mary's eyes started to well up with tears.

"I know, I know," he said quietly. "But right now, I'm just grateful to be here next to you, and that's all that matters."

Mary, feeling equally as grateful, laid her head against his shoulder.

* * *

**A/N:** So I have a lot to say, haha. Here goes...

My deepest apologies for taking a while to update! I had planned to update last weekend, but then I ended up getting a job! (Probably thanks to all the good vibes you guys were sending me! :) So I was feeling all nervous last weekend and just couldn't write! So then during my first week of work, it was just totally exhausting, so I didn't have time to write until this weekend! Ah, hope you liked it :) Sorry if there are some spelling/grammar errors...I really wanted to get this posted tonight! I actually should probably be in bed right now...whoops! But I didn't want you guys to wait any longer!

So all Mary and Francis really wanted to do in this chapter was chat it up! This chapter also became super long because they wanted to keep chatting...and then I was like dying of typing so I was all like "NOOO I CAN'T WRITE ANYMORE IF I WANT TO POST TONIGHT." So they'll probably chat it out some more next chapter. Man, it was hard to find a good ending spot though. So sorry this chapter wasn't too eventful or anything. Just had to have a nice little Frary reunion!

So semi-problem that occurred while writing this chapter was trying to write from both Mary and Francis' perspectives...yeahhh. I really want to describe what they're feeling for like every single moment, but that doesn't seem to flow too well and gets all confusing...It's hard when they're together in the same chapter, haha. So the beginning part was Francis' thoughts, and then following the "xxx" thing was more emphasis on Mary's thoughts. I hope that shift was okay and that you all understood? Ah man, I'm learning, haha.

Anyways, you guys are awesome! Thanks for all the love!


	6. Chapitre 6

**D****isclaimer****:** I don't own _Reign_!

**A/N:** Once again, I apologize for taking over a week to update. But I think this chapter is the longest one so far! So I hope that makes up for it :) Thanks for all the support and encouragement, as always!

* * *

**Chapitre 6**

Mary and Francis were both startled when they heard the door to the room suddenly open.

Lucien was standing in the doorway, staring at them. Upon seeing them sitting beside each other on the floor against the wall, he simply rolled his eyes. "Of course you lovebirds would figure out a way to be next to each other."

Francis felt a surge of anger run through him at the sight of Lucien. "What do you want with us?" he asked sharply while moving closer to Mary as if preparing to protect her if necessary.

Lucien crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the doorway. "Well, I was coming to inform you that it was time for dinner, but since you decided to take that tone with me, I'm beginning to reconsider. Perhaps, I should just let you two starve."

Francis eyed him suspiciously, while Mary gave him a wary look.

"But you're in luck. I don't hold grudges and am known for my easy forgiving nature." Lucien chuckled to himself. "Ah, but I suppose you were asking what I want with you two in general? Well, personally, I want nothing to do with you."

Francis and Mary both looked at him, feeling completely confused.

"But someone else wants something to do with you two, so that's why you're here," Lucien stated. "So please don't pester me with questions. And I won't tell you who wants you either!" Lucien quickly added when he saw that Francis was opening his mouth to ask something.

Two young women, who Mary remembered to be Margaret and Jeanne, came bustling into the room, one carrying a basket while the other carried a pot. Seeing that Mary and Francis were tied up, the two women gasped and turned to look at Lucien.

"Lucien, what have you done? Where did this man come from? And why are they tied up?" the elder of the two women asked.

"And how will they be able to eat if they're tied up?" the younger of the two piped in.

Lucien sighed. "I explained this to you two earlier. You are not allowed to ask questions. Just do as you're told," he said in a gentle tone.

"Lucien," the older one said sternly and glared at him. "You instructed us to make them food. But how in heavens will they be able to eat it if they can't use their hands?"

"Margaret..." Lucien began to say, but ended up sighing again. He looked back over at Francis and Mary. "It appears I am too kind to displease my sisters." Margaret huffed. Lucien stepped forward and crouched down before Francis and Mary. He pulled out a small dagger. "I will cut your hands loose so you can eat your dinner. But if you make any move to hurt us or to escape, I will take this dagger and stab her," he said, gesturing to Mary. "Do you understand?"

Francis and Mary nodded, feeling slightly surprised and grateful they were permitted to eat.

"See? I'm not so bad," Lucien said cheekily as he cut the ropes that were binding Mary's and Francis's hands.

As soon as their hands were free, Francis immediately turned towards Mary and wrapped his arms around her. Mary placed her head against his chest and hugged her arms around him in return. The couple was content just to be able to hold each other.

Lucien stepped back away from them, while his sisters both smiled at the couple.

"Okay, they can eat now! Give them their food," he ordered his sisters. They quickly approached Francis and Mary, laying the pot of soup before them. Margaret took some spoons out of the basket she was carrying and handed them to them.

"Thank you…Margaret, yes?" Mary said kindly as she accepted the spoon.

Margaret nodded eagerly in response.

"I hope you don't mind, Miss. But when you were unconscious, we decided to give you a bath and give you new clothes since yours were so muddy," Jeanne explained.

"Was…was your brother…" Francis began to hesitantly ask, but was cut off.

"He certainly was not around when we did that!" Margaret answered.

Francis and Mary shared a look of relief between them and began eating some of the soup.

"Told you," Lucien said, his comment directed towards Francis. He was back to leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, watching them.

"Thank you very much Margaret…and Jeanne, yes?" Mary said and Jeanne nodded.

"What's your name?" Jeanne asked excitedly.

"I'm Mary…and this is my husband, Francis," Mary said, a little surprised that Lucien seemed to know who they were, but the women did not.

At hearing this, the two women looked shocked. "As in Mary, Queen of Scots? And Francis, the dauphin of France?" Jeanne asked.

Francis was quick to nod at the girl's question. He looked over at Mary and squeezed her arm. Clearly, they weren't aware that he had become the king of France, and he thought it might be better for it to stay that way, at least for now.

Jeanne and Margaret quickly turned around to look at Lucien upon the confirmation of this news. "Lucien, why in heavens do we have the Queen of Scotland and the dauphin of France tied up in our cottage?!" Margaret asked angrily.

"I told you about the deal, Margaret!" Lucien shouted, looking a little stressed out over the fact that his sister was going to give him a hard time about this. "We'll discuss this later."

Margaret and Jeanne both turned back to face Mary and Francis, but ended up looking at the ground as their faces turned red. "We deeply apologize for our manners, your majesties," Margaret said.

"Alright, I think we've fed them enough," Lucien stated.

Not wanting to argue with him, Margaret and Jeanne obediently gathered up the food and utensils and stood up. "Good night, your majesties," they said before scurrying out of the room.

Lucien came up to Mary and Francis, signaling for them to place their arms behind their backs. Reluctantly, Francis removed his arms that were wrapped around Mary's body. They felt too weak to protest, so they allowed Lucien to tie them up again.

"Please, just let my wife go. I know you only wanted her because you were trying to lure me here…and now you have me. You don't need her anymore…I'll willingly do whatever you ask if you let her go," Francis pleaded with him. Mary suddenly looked over at Francis with a shocked and hurt expression upon her face, wondering what Francis was doing.

"You are in no place to negotiate. I mean, you're the one who's tied up. I think she'll still be useful…plus she isn't bad to look at either," Lucien said with a wink.

Francis leaned forward as if he were trying to get up and hurt Lucien in some way, but was once again reminded that he was restrained. Mary laid her head on his shoulder as a way to hold him back and calm him down.

"What are you going to do with us?" Francis shouted as Lucien headed for the door.

"Probably tie a handkerchief around your mouth so I don't have to be pestered with questions," Lucien replied sarcastically before shutting the door behind him.

Once she felt sure Lucien was gone and wasn't going to be coming back to the room anytime soon, Mary asked Francis a question. "Any idea on who you think Lucien is keeping us captive for?"

"I imagine there's a long list of possibilities, considering we're a king and queen," Francis responded light-heartedly.

"They don't seem to be aware that you're the king of France," Mary observed.

"Messengers probably weren't able to be sent out to make the announcement to the villages due to the plague," Francis explained. "It's probably best they don't know, at least for now."

Mary nodded in agreement.

"If only we could get one of Lucien's weapons, maybe we'd be able to escape," Francis remarked.

"Or maybe one of the girls would be able to help us? They didn't seem too keen on having captives," Mary noted.

"That's also a possibility. Hopefully, we'll be able to talk to them more," he said. "Don't worry, my darling. We'll find a way out."

Mary laid her head against his shoulder, feeling a little hopeful, but something Francis had said earlier was bothering her. After a few moments of silence, Mary decided to bring up Francis' offer that Lucien let her go. "Francis, what made you think I would ever leave here without you?" She was so shocked he even suggested such a thing.

"It is my wish to always put you first…I know I failed you, as a husband, by running off to Lola despite the plague, and now we're stuck in this situation…I am so sorry," he told her earnestly.

"Francis…don't blame yourself. This is my fault. I have been thinking back to our conversation about how I found myself growing harder, and how I didn't want that to happen…and then, I didn't even go with you and closed the gates behind you…I am sorry for failing you as a wife," Mary tearfully said.

"You haven't failed me," Francis said, wishing he could put his arms around Mary to comfort her. Instead, all he could do was let her rest her head against his shoulder and let her tears fall onto his shirt.

"You also said during that conversation that we should share our burdens…well, trying to be a strong ruler and a good wife always tears me apart. Sometimes, I don't think I can handle it," she said after her tears subsided.

"Well that is a common burden we both have. We should handle those obstacles together. We should…" Francis paused. Suddenly his mind drifted off to thinking about everything that had happened the past few days. All of the pain and guilt he suffered…his own burdens. In his efforts to be a great ruler for France, he had to kill his father. How could Mary love someone who killed his own father? Would she understand? Would she be afraid of him? He wasn't sure if he should take that risk…but how could he go on, telling her to share her troubles, when he had yet to do that himself?

"Francis, what were you going to say? Is something bothering you?" Mary asked, noticing that it looked like his mind had wandered elsewhere and that his face held a sad expression.

Francis, internally conflicted, looked as if he was about to say something, but stopped himself. "Tell me, Francis," Mary requested.

"I fear you may not love me anymore after I tell you."

"That is impossible," she replied. "And you know I have the same fears that you will stop loving me…it's another common burden we have."

He wanted to protest. But he remembered her voicing her fears that she was becoming someone he wouldn't love, and he likewise felt that would be impossible. But he still was scared of how she would react.

"Mary," he took a deep breath. "I killed my father."

Mary, who was apprehensive about what Francis was going to tell her, didn't seem affected by what he said. "You didn't, Francis. It was an accident."

"No, Mary," he sighed. "It was me who was jousting against him. I purposely injured him."

Mary let out a slight gasp.

"It was me," Francis continued. "If we tried to start a coup, it would have been too risky. There was a high probability we wouldn't have been successful. And the way he touched you at the tournament…" Francis shuddered with anger. "He had gone too far. I had to kill him."

"Oh Francis, you did what was best for France. For the safety and well-being of your people," she said as she looked up at him. "You were concerned with being a good king."

She knew how guilty he must feel and the pain he must have felt. She knew nothing she could say would erase that. The best she could do was inch her body a little closer to him in an attempt to console him.

Francis let out a sigh of relief. Mary wasn't scared, nor upset with him. It came as a great comfort to him, and he felt more at ease now that he didn't have that secret bottled up inside.

After a few moments of silence, Francis spoke again. "I'm going to be selfish and say it was foolish of me to suggest that Lucien let you go. I need you here, Mary, so I can stay sane."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

* * *

**A/N:** I feel bad when it takes me longer than a week to update! This chapter just took a little longer to write...I find that I just keep getting distracted and things come up...so I only write in little spurts! And then once again, Francis and Mary want to keep talking, and it made the chapter longer than usual...and then I kept rearranging things...so I just took a bit more time with this one. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Now that some Frary talking is out of the way, I'm thinking some drama shall strike next chapter ;) Gotta spice things up a bit.


	7. Chapitre 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Reign_!

**A/N:**Thank you so much for your patience! Finally another chapter-I'm getting pretty terrible at sticking to my goal of updating once a week...deepest apologies! But thank you as always for your guys' wonderful support!**  
**

* * *

**Chapitre 7**

The sun was just beginning to set when Mary and Francis suddenly heard multiple voices speaking and quite a bit of shuffling going on outside their room. The two had begun dozing off, but were immediately alert once they heard the commotion.

"I wonder what's going on," Mary said as she picked her head up off of Francis' shoulder.

The door suddenly burst open to reveal Lucien, who strode straight through the door to the young couple. He looked as if he were in a hurry and a bit distressed.

He kneeled down before Francis and took out his dagger to cut the rope that was tied around his feet. "Come with me," he said aggressively, as he yanked Francis up off the ground and pulled him towards the door.

"What are you doing?! Where are you taking him?!" Mary cried out, but Lucien did not respond. He just continued to pull Francis outside of the room. Francis looked back at Mary and attempted to give her a comforting smile before he was taken out of sight.

Jeanne and Margaret appeared in the doorway right when Lucien and Francis departed. Each with a pillow in hand, they came and kneeled down before Mary. Both were looking slightly terrified.

"We brought you some pillows, your majesty. We hope they will make sleeping a little more comfortable," Jeanne said.

"Thank you," Mary said, but was distracted with thoughts of what was happening to Francis. She was about to ask the young women if they knew anything, but noticed they were trembling. "What's wrong?"

Jeanne was looking down at her apron, playing with the edge of it. "Our aunt is here…she isn't too friendly," she answered.

XxxxxxxX

Lucien pushed Francis into a small, wooden chair beside a desk that was located in the main room of the cottage. Francis groaned in pain.

"What are you doing?!" Francis exclaimed. Lucien ignored his question and quickly began tying Francis' feet to the chair.

Lucien then pulled out a piece of parchment from a drawer and laid it on top of the desk.

"I need you to write a letter to your mother, letting her know that you and Mary have been kidnapped and that you will be released if she accepts our requests," he ordered while pulling out a quill pen from the desk.

Francis eyed him suspiciously. "What are your requests?"

"That I get to visit with your father one last time," a female voice said from behind Francis.

Francis turned his head to see who was speaking, and his eyes widened once he saw who it was.

"Diane?"

"All of France has heard that your father has been going mad, Francis," Diane began to explain. "One of my spies informed me he was injured at the jousting tournament yesterday…I imagine this may be the end for him, and I would like the chance to see him one last time…your mother will surely keep him away from me, so I was in need of some leverage…" she said as she eyed Francis. "I asked my nephew to be on the lookout for you," she said as she looked over to Lucien. "It was pure luck that he managed to capture Mary first."

At the mention of the jousting tournament, Francis felt the guilt crash over him once again. But he knew he couldn't let his face show it. Part of him wondered if he should reveal that his father was already dead, thinking they might let him and Mary go. He decided against it, figuring they would probably ask for something more if they found out they had captured the king of France.

"I'll soon be off to see your mother, so it would be nice to have proof that I have you in my possession," Diane said, gesturing to the parchment and quill.

Lucien cut the rope that was tied around Francis' hands, and Francis immediately tried to untie the rope around his ankles and get up out of the chair to escape. However, Lucien was quick to push him back down in the chair.

"Perhaps, we should have Mary join us…and then we can use her to help keep you under control," Diane said with a malevolent smile.

"That won't be necessary," Francis quickly replied and made no move to get up out of the chair. Lucien hesitantly stepped away from him, and Francis leaned forward on the desk to pick up the quill.

"What would you like me to say?" Francis asked them.

"Let your mother know that you and Mary are in my care, you're safe, and that you'll be released once she grants me permission to visit with Henry," Diane told him.

Francis did as he was told, hating himself for it. He never did enjoy taking orders from other people, especially ones using him for their own gain. But he knew he had to do it, for his and Mary's safety.

Once Francis finished writing the letter, he folded it up. Lucien lit a wax stick to let it drip on the letter and indicated that Francis should press his ring into the wax. Francis complied and handed the letter over to Diane.

"Excellent," Diane said.

Francis could only hope that he and Mary would manage to escape before Diane found out that Henry was no longer alive.

XxxxxxxX

After tying up Francis' arms again, Lucien and Diane escorted him back to the room where Mary was. When they appeared, Mary's eyes looked up at them, and she was immediately taken aback at the sight of Bash's mother.

"Diane?" She questioned in surprise. Her eyes immediately sought to meet with Francis' and showed her confusion.

"Hello Mary," Diane said. "How lovely to see you," she said sarcastically.

"What are you doing here?" Mary asked her.

"I'm sure your…_husband_ here will fill you in," Diane replied. A moment later, Diane sighed. "You know Mary, if you had only married my son, you wouldn't be in this situation."

Francis glared at her in response to her comment. Bash and Mary's relationship would always be a sore spot for him, and he did not enjoy being reminded of it. He also did not enjoy being reminded that he was the reason for his and Mary's current predicament.

Mary had a cross look upon her face, feeling angry that Diane even dared to say such a thing. She knew it probably hurt Francis.

Lucien roughly pushed Francis to the ground across the room from Mary. When he fell to the ground, his head ended up hitting the wall, causing him to yelp in pain. Mary gasped. Diane didn't look too concerned, and Lucien simply proceeded to tie up Francis' ankles.

"Have a pleasant evening. Thank you for your help, Francis," Diane stated before turning and heading out of the room. Lucien followed her, closing the door behind him.

"Francis, are you okay?" Mary asked him. "I'll roll over to you."

"No!" Francis was quick to protest. "No, I don't want you to risk hurting yourself."

"But Francis—"

"No, Mary. It's already my fault we're here. I don't want you to be hurt anymore by this."

Mary sighed and wished Francis would just accept that she didn't blame him at all for their captivity. Knowing she wouldn't get anywhere with him, she decided to change the subject. "What is Diane doing here?"

"Apparently, she heard that my father had been going mad and that he was...injured at the tournament. She thinks he is still alive…and she's using me to convince my mother to permit her to see him. I imagine she would've wanted to make one last plea that Bash be his successor. She made me write a letter to my mother to prove I'm her prisoner," Francis explained. "I think she intends to go to the castle early in the morning."

"But she'll most likely find out that Henry is no longer alive. Unless Catherine convinces her otherwise…but if she doesn't, what will happen to us then?"

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get ourselves out of here before we have to find out. I think I have an idea…"

XxxxxxxX

The next morning, Francis woke up after hearing some voices outside the room. He assumed Diane was preparing to leave for the castle and decided he should wake Mary up so they could implement their plan as soon as Diane departed.

When he looked over at Mary lying on the floor on the pillow, he noticed that she was already awake. However, something didn't seem right.

"Mary," Francis whispered.

"Francis," she said weakly. "I…I don't feel so well. My head is aching again…I think I have a fever."

Francis' eyes widened in alarm when he heard Mary suddenly begin coughing.

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**A/N:** OH THE DRAMA!**  
**  
Sooo once again, life is just getting in the way of me writing a chapter. Plus, on top of that, I'm just a slow writer! I can only write in small little bits here and there...I think I started this chapter on Sunday and I had to keep going back to it each day since then lol. But I hope you all liked the chapter! Please review because I'd love to know your thoughts :)


	8. Chapitre 8

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Reign_.**  
**

**A/N: **Aw, guys! Last chapter was the most reviewed chapter for this fic! I am so grateful! You are all so wonderful! Thank you! :)

* * *

**Chapitre 8**

As soon as he heard Mary begin coughing, Francis was overcome with complete worry and terror.

The headache, the fever, the coughing...all were the usual signs of the plague.

He would never forgive himself for running off from the castle. His impulsive decision has continually led to endangering Mary's life.

They had to get out of this cottage immediately. He needed to take her to Nostradamus. Surely, he would know of some way to treat this disease?

"Mary," he said softly as he watched her. She was lying on her side on the floor with her head on top of the pillow. From the look on her face, she looked to be in great pain."...I think you have-"

"I know," she quickly responded with a tinge of sadness to her voice. "I know it's the plague."

"We have to get you back to the castle as soon as possible."

Mary slowly nodded in acquiescence.

Francis knew he would need to completely change their plan of original plan consisted of getting a hold of some type of utensil or weapon from Lucien's sisters to free themselves, which required Mary to be physically able to escape quickly. That plan was no longer possible with her current condition. It also required more time...time that they no longer had.

Francis realized he was just going to have to hope that Lucien was feeling generous that day. He would have to plead with him for their freedom and give him anything he desired in return. Anything for the chance to save Mary's life.

"LUCIEN!" Francis cried out loudly. "LUCIEN!" he exclaimed again as he sat up and leaned his back against the wall.

Mary continued to cough, and every so often she would shiver from the chills she began to feel.

Francis' worry increased even more when he noticed the new symptom, causing him to call out Lucien's name more desperately than before.

"LUCIEN! LUCIEN!" He even banged his tied up hands against the wall in an attempt to cause more commotion to make Lucien come to them.

The door to the room flew open and revealed a distressed Lucien.

"Listen, _your majesty_, I'm a bit busy at the moment. I'll have to attend to your matters later," Lucien stated in an irritated tone before pausing. He turned his face away from Francis' to look at Mary when he heard her coughing.

Francis, seeing that Lucien noticed Mary's illness, was about to voice his plea that he let them go, but Lucien spoke first.

"I've been with my sister, Jeanne. She is also coughing and seems to be growing sicker by the second, similar to Mary," he said gravely. "Do you know what is wrong with them?" he asked as he turned his face back to Francis'.

Francis gulped. "I believe...I believe it is the plague."

Lucien was shocked at this news. "The plague?"

"It was reported before we left the castle that there was a recent outbreak of the plague in the area," Francis explained.

"What...what can we do? How do we stop this?" Lucien asked worriedly. He clearly cared deeply for his sister and was at a loss as to what he should do.

"I'm not sure. We need to take them to a doctor. Please, please let us go so I can save my wife," Francis begged. "If you let us go, we can save Jeanne, too."

Lucien did not appear to believe him. "How can you guarantee that?"

"I can't," Francis replied honestly. "But I am the king of France, and I can get her the best medical attention." Feeling so desperate to take Mary to the castle, he felt he finally had to reveal the truth.

"You're not the king, you're the dauphin!" Lucien exclaimed incredulously.

Francis took a deep breath. "My father died a few days ago...I am now the king."

Lucien eyed him suspiciously. "How does France not know about this?"

Francis huffed. He was growing impatient. They needed to get out of here immediately, and Lucien is questioning him. "The castle closed down because of the plague."

"How can I trust you?"

"Well, that's simply a gamble you'll have to take," Francis said, reciting the exact words Lucien told him when he captured him and claimed he would take him to Mary. "Don't you want to take any chance to save your sister? She could die!" Francis added.

"Of course I want to save my sister! I would do anything for her!" Lucien shouted angrily.

"Then let's go to the castle," Francis suggested.

"This better not be some trick," Lucien mumbled as he took out his dagger to cut through the ropes binding Francis.

Mary had smiled with relief when Lucien approached her to cut through the ropes binding her, but that smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw Francis look over at her. She suddenly realized the risk Francis would be taking to get her to the castle.

"Francis, you mustn't come near me. You can't risk becoming sick! Don't you dare come near me," Mary ordered him.

Francis had stood up and was ready to walk immediately over to her to pick her up and comfort her until she said those words. He didn't care about himself, all he cared about was her. How could she not understand this?

"But Mary…" he began to say.

"Don't come near me!" She said angrily. "I will not let you become ill and die because of me!"

"Mary, I've already been exposed to the disease by being in the same room as you. It won't make a difference!" Francis tried to plead with her.

"It will!"

Francis sighed with frustration.

"Let us go get the horses. Then, we'll come back for Mary and Jeanne," Lucien suggested. Francis nodded.

When Francis and Lucien exited the room, they first informed Margaret that Jeanne and Mary were infected by the plague, and they told her their plan to get help at the castle. They instructed her to keep an eye on Jeanne and Mary as they went to prepare the horses.

XxxxxxxX

Once Lucien and Francis brought the horses to the front of the cottage, they ran back inside to retrieve the women. Francis headed straight to the room with Mary, who looked very displeased to see him approaching her..

"Francis, I told you. Do not come any closer."

"Mary, for goodness sake, I need to carry you to the horses!"

"I can...I can walk there myself," Mary declared as she attempted to stand up, which seemed like a tremendous struggle for her. When she tried to walk forward, she stumbled, causing Francis to jerk forward to try to catch her. However, she managed to catch herself before Francis could grab her.

"No, Francis! If you touch me, I will never forgive you."

"Mary!" Stubbornness was one of his wife's fine qualities, but at this moment, he did not admire it at all. "You're weak and dizzy...you need help. And you'll have to ride the horse with me anyway. We need to go. Now."

Mary shook her head vigorously. "Then I don't want to go. I can't risk you dying from this."

"I can't risk having _you_ die from this, Mary!" he said. "We need to go," he reiterated before coming up to her and swooping her up in his arms. She tried to protest, but she wasn't strong enough.

"If…" Francis began. "God forbid, if these end up being our last moments together, I want this chance to hold you in my arms again. I don't care if I get sick! Life without you wouldn't even be worth living," he told her seriously.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Francis," she said as she buried her face into his shoulder. "I am so afraid."

"I know, my darling," he said as he pulled her closer. "But everything is going to be okay," he said to try to assure her, but he was also trying to assure himself that she would survive.

He carried Mary outside outside of the house to the horses, where Lucien, Jeanne, and Margaret were waiting. Lucien was on one horse, with a sickly looking Jeanne sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around him. Margaret was sitting on another horse beside them.

Francis assisted Mary in mounting their horse before he got up on the animal himself. He sat in front of her and pulled her arms around his waist, which allowed her to rest her head upon his back.

"Hold on tight, Mary. Hold on tight," he said before all of them galloped off in the direction of the castle.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry I left you guys with a cliffhanger for over a week! The past week of my life featured lots of stress and a quick road trip, so I got a bit distracted from the world of Reign (but then all of the Comic-Con goodness helped reel me back in! ;) I was also hoping to update last night, which I believe I said I was going to do when I was writing my review replies (haha-sorry it's coming a little later)! I got tired and I wasn't sure if I was happy with the chapter, so I wanted to wait to go over it again. Hope you liked it!


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